Flourless Coconut Peanut Butter Cookies

These flourless coconut peanut butter cookies are low in sugar, packed with protein and take just minutes to throw together. They’re naturally grain-free and dairy-free, too!

This recipe for flourless peanut butter cookies is a riff on my chocolate flourless peanut butter cookies, which I almost always have a batch of in my freezer. I even frequently make a dozen of them for myself and eat two for breakfast.

Can I leave out the….?

I’ve gotten many requests for making flourless peanut butter cookies without the cocoa powder, but that’s easier said than done. Although I do try to provide as much information on substitutions as possible in my recipes, I’m afraid many readers still assume that they should just be able to leave out an ingredient and still have the recipe turn out. I’m afraid it just doesn’t work like that!

I understand what it’s like when you see a recipe that looks so tempting, but it calls for an ingredient you simply can’t eat. So I do my best.

Unless an ingredient is merely perched on top of, say, a cookie right before it goes into the oven (like an extra few chocolate chips), it enters into the chemical reaction that results in these delicious cookies. In fact, that chemical reaction is most amazing in a flourless baking recipe like this one.

As a general rule of thumb, too, the simpler the recipe, the more important the role of each individual ingredient. In flourless baking, something other than an ingredient ground into flour must provide the structure.

We eat a ton of nut butter in my house, and much of it is in baking. Not only does nut butter provide an amazing base for creating all sorts of flourless baked goods, but it’s high in good fats and high in protein—plus, each of my 3 children loves it.

These cookies have an amazing chewy texture that you wouldn’t think was possible without any flour. And they’re so, so different from their O.G. chocolate flourless peanut butter cookie cousins. The toasted coconut flakes help add structure, taste and texture.

My husband and I certainly didn’t have 3 children knowing that I would become a recipe developer by trade, but it’s certainly been very useful. All 3 of them have such different taste and texture preferences, so when they all 3 love something, I figure there’s a good chance you will, too!

Ingredients and substitutions

I have tested these cookies many, many times and many ways, but not without eggs and not without peanuts. So these are my best-educated guesses for substitutions:

Egg-free: You could try a “chia egg” for each of the two eggs in this recipe. A “chia egg” is simply 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel.

Peanut-free: You could try making these flourless peanut butter cookies with cashew butter or almond butter. I bet they would work great!

Dairy-free: This recipe is naturally dairy free, provided you are careful to use dairy-free chocolate chips.

Coconut-free: If you don’t like coconut sugar, you can replace it with an equal amount, by weight, of light brown sugar. In place of the toasted coconut chips, you can use an equal amount, by weight, of certified gluten free old-fashioned rolled oats.

Chocolate chips: In place of chocolate chips, you can use any sort of chips you like, or just use more coconut flakes in their place. You do need something to help provide some structure to the cookies, though, so you can’t simply leave them out.

Watch this super-short 45 second video of me making these peanut butter cookies.

Directions

Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and place the coconut flakes on it in a single layer. Place in the center of the preheated oven and toast until the edges of the flakes begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.

In a large bowl, place the peanut butter, eggs, baking soda, salt, sugar, and vanilla, and mix to combine. The mixture should be thick and smooth. Add the toasted and cooled coconut flakes and most of the chocolate chips (reserving a few for placing on top of each cookie after shaping), and mix until evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.

Scoop 2 to 3 tablespoon-sized portions of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart from one another. With wet hands, roll each piece into a round and then press gently into a disk about 1/2-inch tall. Place a few of the reserved chips on top of each disk. Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until set in the center. Don’t overbake.

Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for about 3 days. Freeze for longer storage.

Hi, Marisa, I hadn’t considered that. Maybe! It’s definitely worth a shot. Just be sure to use flakes and not shredded coconut.

donna simock

January 22, 2018 at 5:57 PM

Nicole, you mentioned the cashew and almond butters as an alternative to the peanut butter, how do you think sunflower seed butter would work? either in crunchy or smooth variety?

thank you! donna

Nicole Hunn

January 22, 2018 at 8:39 PM

I’m honestly not sure, Donna! I know that sunflower seed butter has a much different consistency than nut butters, so I’m not too optimistic, I’m afraid. And it turns green during baking because the chlorophyll reacts with the chemical leavener. :(

Nancy Martin

January 21, 2018 at 8:43 PM

What is the carb and fiber content per cookie?

Nicole Hunn

January 22, 2018 at 4:02 PM

I’m afraid I don’t provide nutritional information, Nancy. Please feel free to plug the recipe into an online nutrition calculator on your own. That’s all I would do anyway!

K Harris

January 21, 2018 at 6:12 PM

Thanks to the lady who asked about using oats, I think I’ll try that. Also, thanks for the tip about heating the peanut butter a little, sounds good. Now just have to find coconut sugar.

Beth

January 21, 2018 at 12:49 PM

Could this recipe be made in one pan and cut into bars?

Nicole Hunn

January 21, 2018 at 12:55 PM

I haven’t tried that, Beth, but honestly I don’t think that’s a good idea. Nut flours and nut butters have a tendency to burn if they’re baked for too long, and you’d have to bake much longer so that it’s baked all the way through. I’d stick with the cookies!

Kirsteen Wright

January 21, 2018 at 8:34 AM

Can I either half the recipe or freeze the cookies. I’m the only one that would be eating them and I really don’t need an excuse to have to eat 14 in 3 days, much as I’d love it.

Nicole Hunn

January 21, 2018 at 11:43 AM

Yes, definitely, Kirsteen! You can do either. Since the recipe calls for 2 eggs, it’s easy to halve.

Pam

January 21, 2018 at 8:05 AM

What is coconut sugar and where do you find it?

Nicole Hunn

January 21, 2018 at 11:45 AM

Hi Pam, Coconut sugar or coconut palm sugar is made from sap of the coconut palm that’s boiled and dehydrated. It’s has a lower glycemic index than refined sugar and has some nutrients (unlike refined sugar). You can find it at most larger grocery stores (sometimes in the natural foods aisle) and even in Trader Joe’s.

Milvi

January 17, 2018 at 3:07 PM

Question about the peanut butter … did you heat it to change the consistency? It looks quite liquid in the video. I have not used ‘no stir’ before, so not sure what it looks like. Will the recipe work if I stir separated peanut butter really well to incorporate the oil?

Nicole Hunn

January 17, 2018 at 4:45 PM

Hi, Milvi, Yes! I did heat the peanut butter in the video for about 10 seconds in the microwave just before filming, but not because it’s necessary to make the cookies. I did that because it’s awkward in a video to dump a clump of peanut butter in the bowl. :) There isn’t any harm in heating the peanut butter slightly if you’d like, though. The kind of peanut butter that separates is a problem not because of the physical separation but because it’s typically not smooth enough (even if you diligently stir it!) to properly incorporate into the other ingredients. Hope that helps!

Steph

January 17, 2018 at 2:33 PM

Yes and it worked great.

Gina Berglund

January 17, 2018 at 1:51 PM

Do you recommend toasting the oats before adding it to the dough if using oats as a substitute for the coconut flakes?

Nicole Hunn

January 17, 2018 at 4:30 PM

I haven’t toasted the oats when I’ve used them in place of the coconut chips, Gina. But I think the cookies would be even better if you did!

Carolyn Chapman

January 17, 2018 at 11:32 AM

Can you double the recipe

Nicole Hunn

January 17, 2018 at 12:28 PM

Yes, definitely, Carolyn!

Steph

January 17, 2018 at 11:16 AM

I made my own nut butter by adding almonds to my ninja with some honey roasted peanuts. then I add a little bit of coconut oil to put it together. the honey almond flavor made them delicious.

Nicole Hunn

January 17, 2018 at 11:19 AM

Hi, Steph, did you use that homemade nut butter to make these cookies, you mean? I’d love to know how that worked out if you did!